Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-22

among the archives Of Spain, brought to
iight-among other curious letters from
the CenquistGdorcS- vivid description of
Pop0catapctl in eruption! The author of
IT was Don Diego Ordas, one of Cortez'
Captains and special correspondent of
the expedition. And so graphically did
he describe it that the Spanish sovereign,
Carlos v. granted TO him and his de-
sccrdants forever the exclusive right to
have a burning mountain upon the family
escutcheon!
As special correspondents are seldom
known to tamper with the truth, let us be-
lieve, for the credit Of the profession, that
the phenomenon which Ordas witnessed
was a thunderstorm Of unusual severity.
| saw one myself on the mountain-top,
four years..ago, when suddenly the crater
became black as midnight, and the SOL
terdtas, or sulphur crevices, showed them
selves in lurid flashes of red and blue, ex-
actly like pictures we have seen of the
flaming gates of hell, producing an effect
which might appall the stoutest heart.
Speaking of Popocatapetl, that re
doubtable Friar, Thomas Gage, quantity
observes: "Therc are no Alps like unto it
for hight, cold, and constant snow that
lieth upon it." One does not realize this,
however, during the first half of the jour
ney, when "Ho! for the summit" is the
cry, and that ultima thule CLEANS like a
sheeted ghost above. For an hour or more
one canters gaily through a charming
country, Astounding in fields of barley, al
tnr cf, rlu nd ha tor
green of sugar-cane. Since crops are per-
ennial in this land of sunshine-the Mexi
can husbandman, like grim death, having
all seasons for his OVID" and arranging
seedtime and harvest to suit himself-the
scene, agriculturally, is about the same at
all portions of the year.
By-and-by you ascend beyond the line
Of rich vegetation to woods and grazing
lands. Gradually tropical verdure gives
place to that of
THE TEMPERATE ZONE;
Even the birds being those of the far
north-jays, chickadees, meadow-larks, and
Phnbes."
To the right Of the road, rising out of a
cornfeld, is high. conical hill, green with
waving grain to the very apex. 1t is known
as Tetepetongo ("The Hill of Round
Stones y, and is manifestly artificial. On
its summit is a round altar, where doubt
less sacrifices (perhaps human) were once
offered to unknown gods by some long-fOr-
gotten people On similar elevation, a
mile distant, the remains of temple and
considerable pottery have been found.
Still! journeying upward, the grass soon
disappears, and presently you enter the
solemn forests of fir and pine. Resinous
odors fill the air, the ground is thickly
coated with fallen cones and long pine
needles, and on every hand the giant trees
stand close in serried ranks. Tie silence
becomes almost supernatural, for not even
q murmur of wind, or the note of a night
bird calling to his mate disturbs the OPP
pressive stiffness of this enchanted forest
ten thousand feet above the sea. But it is
wise to get out of these solitudes before
nightfall, for thin impenetrable
darkness descends like a pail, and
the iong-drawn scream of the coy
ote is heard, with the occasional blood
curdling cry of the mountain lion. Ma
turalists complain that the last-named
much-to-be-dreadcd creatures are very rare,
but that circumstance is the only thing
that can be said in their favor. Scattered
all along the trail are
BLACK WOODEN CRoSSES MARKING WAY
SIDE MURDERS,
Growing more and more frequent as we
penetrate deeper into the wood. Every
tangled thickct seems to shelter one, and
our poems are kept busy crossing them
selves and muttering their prayers. Ex-
pressing surprise at the great number of
these grim mementoes, and that any man
should have attempted such q journey
with money enough about him to tempt
banditti, the guide replied vehemently :
Sonora, they will murder you here for
dos reaIes-twenty-ft cents. Sometimes
the tadroneS follow you out from Ameca-
MEGA, especially if you be Ameri-
cans who are known to always have
money-or will precede you and lie in
wait in the black forest. However," he
added philosophically, "they will al
ways say prayers for your soul, and set up
a cross that Others may pray also"
At last Tlamacas is reached, which
though scarcely fifteen miles from Ameca-
meca-is nearly $4,000 feet above the sea.
! venture to assert that it is not only the
highest human habitation on the hemis-
phere, but the coolest All your blankets
will be needed, and the biggest fires that
can be built-and it would not be surpris-
irg if the brandy bottle also came into
ju.!icious requisition.
1t seems unkind to leave you here, like
Mohammed in his coffin, between earth and
heaven, but, as our letter is already too
long, we must defer the rest of it till an
other week FANNIE B. WARD.